Theresa May to trigger Article 50 next Wednesday

Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on Wednesday 29 March to officially start Britain’s exit from the European Union.

The UK’s ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow has told European Council president Donald Tusk when Article 50 will be triggered, while the date was confirmed by Brexit secretary David Davis.

The two year negotiation window will start nine months after the referendum, which saw the UK vote leave by a narrow 51.9% to 48.1%.

The UK will leave the EU by March 2019 provided the two year period is stuck to.

Davis said: “We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation.

“The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe – a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the EU.”